The present invention relates generally to hand-held instruments and tools. In preferred forms, the present invention relates to hand-held surgical instruments, especially those usefully employed for ophthalmic surgical procedures.
Ophthalmic surgical procedures require the use of miniaturized instruments such as, for example, forceps, scissors and the like in order to allow the surgeon to operate on and within a patient""s eye. One well known instrument that is used for such ophthalmic surgical procedures is the so-called Sutherland-type instrument commercially available from Alcon Grieshaber. The Sutherland-type instrument has a pen-like handle and uses a lever as an actuator for actuating mechanically operable spring-loaded tools, such as forceps, scissors, knives and the like which are threaded or otherwise operably connected to the distal end of the handle.
Recently, improvements to such Sutherland-type instruments have been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,918 (the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference). In general, the improvements proposed by the ""918 Patent include providing a circumferentially arranged series of lever-like triggers which are pivotal in response to a radial force being applied thereto. Radially inward and outward pivotal movements of one trigger will, in turn, be converted respectively into rightward and leftward translation of the trigger retainer and is accompanied by like simultaneous movement of all the other triggers. Thus, any working tool attached operable to the trigger retainer will likewise translate rightward and leftward therewith.
Additional improvements in Sutherland-type instruments are disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/549,469 filed on Apr. 14, 2000, the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference, in which a radially flexible actuator band is seated in a generally V-shaped circumferential channel defined between a pair of rings, at least one of which is longitudinally moveable. In response to a radially compressive force. The actuator band will therefore be flexed radially inwardly so as to longitudinally move at least one of the slide rings, and hence a distally mounted tool operatively connected thereto.
The present invention is directed to further improvements in surgical instruments of the Sutherland-type. In this regard, the present invention broadly is directed to hand-held instruments which may be employed to actuate a distally mounted tool by application of radial force about the entirety of the instrument circumference (i.e., is omni-actuatable). In preferred forms, the present invention is embodied in hand-held instruments having a handle which includes an actuator assembly for actuating a tool, wherein the actuator assembly includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart generally L-shaped actuator levers defining respective arcuate bearing surfaces along exterior edge regions thereof, and a retaining ring which circumferentially bounds the actuator levers around said exterior edge regions thereof. The retaining ring most preferably defines an interior stationary arcuate guide surface in conformable mated relationship to the bearing surfaces of said actuator levers.
In especially preferred embodiments, the actuation levers are one-piece structures which include a proximally extending manually actuable arm section, and a generally radially downwardly extending leg section. Bearing surfaces are defined along exterior edge regions of the levers at respective junctures between these arm and leg sections so as to cooperate with the conformably shaped guide surface of the retaining ring.
Most preferably the levers have proximally extending arm sections which are planar structural elements oriented coincidentally in respective radial planes emanating from the longitudinal axis of the device. These proximally extending arm sections thus define edge regions which establish generatrices of a curved surface (which may be convexly and/or concavely curved) in surrounding relationship to the device""s longitudinal axis.
These as well as other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof.